


State of Mind

by wyobrazacsobie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Memory Loss, Romance, Teen Romance, probably more characters to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 18:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyobrazacsobie/pseuds/wyobrazacsobie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco didn't listen to her anymore, but he knew along with everyone else at that point. The Boy Who Lived had lost his memory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	State of Mind

“Are we friends?”

Draco started and looked up at Harry, who was now staring down at him from the end of the table. Draco was situated in the library, surrounded by books and broken quills, keeping to himself as he usually does.

But then Harry Potter had walked over and asked him the seemingly innocent question.

“Excuse me?” asked Draco.

Harry seemed to falter, those green eyes of his becoming hesitant as he rephrased his question.

“Were we friends?”

Draco had the sudden urge to laugh but kept it from bubbling up. “No. We weren't.”

There was a brief silence that allowed Draco to wonder where the other two thirds of the trio were. They wouldn't leave Harry alone, especially considering the state he was in, would they?

Before Draco could continue his thought, Harry interrupted.

“Would you like to be?”

Draco couldn't believe this was happening. He hesitated, then looked up at Harry. He saw worry, mixed with a certain trepidation and an acute shyness. 

But most of all he saw courage. That stupid Gryffindor courage.

He blinked once before responding, but then he smiled.

“Yes. Although I don't think it would work out.”

XOXO

What Draco gathered from the rumors is that it all started from Gryffindor stupidity - though no one had worded it so bluntly. Apparently, Neville Longbottom had been performing a spell on one of his many plant-life friends in the common room. He had been practicing the motions all evening, intent on making sure the spell went smoothly so that he didn't ruin anything.

Of course, that went right out the window. Almost literally, in fact.

See, after practicing the pronunciation a measly hundred times, Neville finally decided that it was time to do the real thing. He stared down his leafy friend and resolved to get it right this time. He lifted his wand, and then -

Then many things happened at once.

First, Seamus Finnegan had been walking through the common room, which might as well have been a desk for all the books strewn across the floor. At this precise moment he stumbled, leaning over sideways and ultimately dropping his books onto Neville's back, causing Neville to stumble.

Second, Harry Potter and his two friends began clambering through the portrait hole at that moment.

Third, when Neville was struck by Seamus's falling books, he botched the pronunciation of the spell, sputtering a garbled mess - “memnoriaexfeedu”

Last, Neville's wand wave was also affected, thus shooting the spell from his wand at an awkward angle, barely grazing the potted plant, yet sending the leafy figure flying out the nearby window.

The resounding crash, as it was, hid the sounds of Potter falling to the floor in a heap of limb and cloth. It wasn't until Hermione Granger screamed Potter's name that everyone's attention was taken from the broken window to the unconscious boy in their common room.

Thus chaos ensued.

All of this information Draco had gathered from stories he overheard around the castle, and had reached this final version by taking out the dragon that had broken into the Gryffindor common room and the pixie dust that someone had sneezed, causing all of this trouble.

Among other things.

But besides the crazy flourishes, he was able to get the vague idea.

The next part he was able to hear from a more reliable source. No, no one spoke to him. No one ever did. But his acute hearing has made up for his lack of friends, it seemed. He heard the next part from Hermione telling Ginny Weasley, who had not been in the common room during the events.

“When we went to the infirmary, we laid him down and Madam Pomfrey immediately started testing him. He woke up during her examination though, and she asked him some questions.”

“Is that when you realized?” Asked Ginny.

Hermione shook her head. “No. It took us some time because he wasn't talking at all. Well, he was, but really simple words, and only in response to Madam Pomfrey.” Hermione shifted in the corner of Draco's eye and he turned his head more away from them just in case, but kept eavesdropping.

“He didn't look hurt so we all thought it was okay. Ron and Neville were the only ones allowed to stay at this point. We thought it was a lucky miss, or something, and that we could leave. But something was bothering me. He just wasn't talking as much as he usually did, especially to us, and he wasn't responding to Neville's apologies.” She stopped again, but Draco waited patiently. “So, finally, I asked him, 'Harry, are you okay?' He...” She sighed. “He looked right at me, Gin. Right at me and said, 'Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry to ask but... who are you?'”

Gin gave a gasp and Draco clenched his hand.

“He doesn't remember any of us. Not me, not Ron or Neville. We asked him if he even remembered Hogwarts and he said no. Magic? No. Dumbledore? No. Not even his parents, or Sirius or Remus.” She sighed. “We even asked him about Draco, but not even his name got anything.”

Draco felt tense. “Why would you ask about Draco?” asked Ginny. “He doesn't really have a part in Harry's life anymore.”

Hermione was silent for a moment. “Well, we were desperate, Gin.”

Draco didn't listen to her anymore, but he knew along with everyone else at that point.

The Boy Who Lived had lost his memory.

XOXO

Three days passed since the incident, Harry still hadn't remembered anything. Everyone was a little on edge about him. It's said that it could either be something big or something small that could trigger his memory. Anything, they said. It could be anything.

And now here he is, standing not far from Draco, asking if they could be friends.

Draco turned his head a little, making sure no one saw him with Harry. He didn't think anyone would be okay with him being alone with the Golden Boy.

“Why are you looking around?”

Draco sighed. “Just checking if anyone could see us.”

Harry did the last thing Draco wanted him to do. He sat down across from him. “Why?”

Draco set down his quill. He wouldn't be getting any work done right now. “Because,” he said simply.

Harry's eye twitched. Then he decided on a different question.

“Why are you alone?”

Draco wasn't expecting that. He blinked once then looked back at his papers.

He didn't know exactly how to answer that. He could just answer 'because' again, but he felt like that wouldn't stop Harry from pushing this time. It's just... Draco was always alone now. Ever since he returned for an eighth year at Hogwarts, he ignored people and people happily ignored him. He thinks it has something to do with the fact that he helped Harry during the war, but was also a Death Eater. They're grateful, but they don't want to show him too much kindness. So they ignore him. And he's fine with it. He deserves it, anyway.

Harry tapped his parchment and Draco flinched. Then he brushed away Harry's fingertips and looked up.

“I want to be,” answered Draco, “So I am.”

Confusion crossed Harry's face. “Who would ever want to be alone?”

Hermione and Ron mercifully saved Draco from the burden of answering. He was grateful for it; he didn't know how to respond.

“Harry!” Hermione half whispered, half yelled. Of course she would care for the library silence. Ron followed behind her dutifully and openly glared when he saw Draco, yet said nothing.

“Harry, what are you doing here?” asked Hermione. Harry smiled up at her and pointed to Draco.

“I wanted to talk to him. I was asking him if we were friends.”

Ron scoffed but said nothing. Draco raised a single eyebrow.

“Oh really?” Hermione asked. She glanced at Draco. “And what did he say?”

Why couldn't she just ask him? He is right there, he thought.

“He said he would like to be, but that it probably wouldn't work out.”

Hermione's lips twitched and Draco could feel a blush raising on his cheeks. He looked down and picked up his quill, intent on focusing on his work now that the trio was together again.

“Really?” she whispered. Draco ignored the pointed look Hermione gave Ron and also ignored the second scoff Ron gave while in his presence.

What he couldn't ignore were Harry's next words.

“I was wondering if he could hand out with us sometime. I'd like to get to know him.”

Draco immediately stood and began collecting his things. He would not get pulled into hanging out with Potter's friends. That would be too much.

“Actually, Harry, I don't think that would work out.” Before Harry could answer though, looking indignant, she said, “But how about you try hanging out with him yourself first? If you think we all would get along, then we'll happily join you two.”

The trio was then thoroughly distracted by Draco's ink falling across the table by a wayward elbow jerk. Draco stared incredulously at Hermione.

“Uh...” Harry turned back to Hermione. “You wouldn't mind?”

“Of course not,” she said, glancing once at Draco. “And I bet Malfoy wouldn't either.”

Wouldn't mind? Wouldn't mind? Of course he would mind! He would mind very much! He opened his moth to tell him just how much when he accidentally locked eyes with Harry.

And he looked so hopeful. And innocent. And... and... Dammit.

Draco clicked his mouth shut and gave a curt nod before ignoring his ink mess and leaving the library as quickly as he could. Who knew what else they would rope him into if he stayed any longer.

Later he would focus more on the hope that maybe Harry would forget about him, or that maybe Harry wouldn't be able to find him so that they could 'hang out'.

But right now, all he was focusing on was his sudden inability to say no.

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the great midnite-thunder.


End file.
